Back at Home, Legion FC Seeks Response Against Tough Foe

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – 2025 did not get off to the ideal start for Birmingham Legion FC, who is looking to course correct after opening the new campaign with a 3-1 home loss to Loudoun United FC. With last season’s the less-than-stellar home record still fresh in the minds of the coaching staff and players, the Three Sparks know that they cannot succumb to that trend once again, especially this early in the season.

Things don’t get much easier though as Birmingham welcomes perennial USL Championship power Louisville City FC to Protective Stadium on Sunday.

“Just a disappointing start to the season,” said Legion FC coach Tom Soehn. “We have to now find a way to regroup against a team that, over time, has been more consistent than even the Loudoun’s of the world.”

Since its inception back in 2015, Louisville City has finished at the top or second place in the Eastern Conference standings every season except for 2019 and 2023, with back-to-back league titles in 2017 and 2018. And last year was not just the best performance in the regular season for the club, but an historic outing by the league’s standards as it tied 2022 San Antonio FC’s record of 24 wins to go along with 76 points and a plus-43 goal differential.

With the majority of its core having returned, the club picked 2025 up right where it left off as it went on the road and came away with a 2-1 victory over the Charleston Battery, putting the rest of the league on notice once again.

“We’re excited about the opportunity,” Legion FC midfielder Dawson McCartney said of his team’s upcoming opponents. “Louisville is always bringing out a fast-paced game with a high press and we’ve been working this week to prepare for that”

It will be the second consecutive match in which Legion FC will have its hands full trying to nullify high pressure from the opposition. In the opener against Loudoun, Birmingham got the quick second-minute goal from Jake Rufe, but had its struggles in finding dangerous opportunities after that, with just one more shot on target and only eight more touches inside the box.

The match was largely played on Loudoun’s side of the field due to the away side’s pressing tendencies. It’s a trap that Birmingham simply can’t fall into again with a side as lethal as Louisville is on the counterattack.

“We need to do a much better job of getting on the ball and building out,” explained McCartney. “When they are pushed up, we need to look for opportunities to get in behind them and create more scoring opportunities.”

Thankfully for Legion FC a big piece in creating those scoring chances is returning with veteran midfielder Enzo Martinez set to make his season debut after missing last week due to red card suspension.

“I feel like I let the team down,” said Martinez who was forced out against Loudoun after picking up a pair of yellow cards in Birmingham’s 2024 finale against Oakland Roots SC.

“It hurt not to be out there and then, especially after that result, it felt like you were being stabbed in the chest twice. All I can do now is make sure than I’m ready (Sunday) to show my teammates that I’m sorry about what happened.”

With Martinez back in the fold, not only does Legion FC get back what Soehn calls “the heart and soul of the team”, but also a valuable engine in the midfield that makes his presence felt on both ends of the pitch. In his three years in The Magic City, Martinez has averaged 50 chances created per season, while also winning 136 tackles in that stretch.

His return to the pitch could be just the shot in the arm that is necessary for Legion FC to notch its first mark in the win column on the young season.

“I’m just ready to get out there and work for the team,” Martinez said. “It’s a long season with lots a game and lots of different styles that we’ll face, so we got to be adaptable to any situation.”

Follow Along 
For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow the Legion FC Match Center and @bhmlegion on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.